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With Alberta's continued stable grizzly population, the grizzly bear hunt will continue this spring. However, it will be reduced, particularly in designated areas in an effort to sustain the number of adult female bears in these areas.
The overall number of licences issued will be reduced from 130 to 101, which is expected to lower Alberta's modest harvest of about 15 bears annually.
Alberta will take a precautionary approach and will reduce the legal hunt in three grizzly bear management areas in west-central Alberta (see attached map). Current information suggests a declining trend in the average age of female bears in these areas, which could mean fewer adult females than desired to sustain healthy populations. The hunt will also be reduced by two weeks in these designated areas during the time when female bears are more active.
In addition, there will be no hunt this year in an area where research is taking place associated with the Foothills Model Forest Study.
The harvest is handled through a draw process, involving Alberta hunters only. Approximately 4,000 hunters have applied for licences this year.
Alberta continues to pay close attention to grizzly deaths and places a priority on monitoring all grizzly mortalities. Recorded grizzly bear mortalities are down about 50% since the grizzly bear management plan was initiated in 1989, largely due to a conservative approach to hunting.
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